A man in Stamford died Friday when a fire broke out in a home on Powell Place.

Police identified the homeowner as 67-year-old Mark Palmer.

The fire started just before 7 p.m. Friday.

Callers alerted the Stamford Fire Department that smoke was coming from the home and that they had not seen Palmer for a while.

According to the department, the first and second floors of the home were fully engulfed in flames when they arrived.

"Our first engine company was there in four minutes, and the fire was basically brought under control within 25 minutes," said Deputy Chief Paul Newman.

Crews said it was hard to get around inside due to significant hoarding conditions. There were also items inside the home that would expedite a fire.

"Stacked boxes and papers and garbage, basically, throughout the house," Newman said.

Fire officials believe Palmer was the only person living in the home.

City workers were on scene Saturday to clean out the home.

It was not immediately clear how the fire began.

State Police Fire and Explosive Investigation Unit was called in to assist the Stamford fire marshal. They will determine the cause.

"That is our procedure here at the Stamford Fire Department - when there is a fatality involved, our fire marshal's office will call in the state police to be the lead investigative unit," Newman said.

Officials want to remind residents to always have working smoke detectors.

"I'm not sure if there were smoke detectors in the house at the time, but I can't emphasize enough that everybody should have working smoke detectors in their homes," Newman said.